Has it really made a difference?

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neefz
neefz Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hello :smile:

I'm new and have only joined for like a week now I think. I was just wondering as someone like myself who is pretty useless and gives up with diet/exercising do you think this helps? Since I've been using it I have become more aware of how many calories I'm counting. But I'm starting to slack and have not been keeping up with my food diaries. I know that it is all down to me but does anyone else find it hard?

Replies

  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    first of all, welcome to MFP!
    second, go through the "Success Stories" posts and you will find how much it makes a difference! (or at least did for those people!) and you are right, it does come down to you! but anything worthwhile is going to be hard but worth fighting for!
  • sgv0918
    sgv0918 Posts: 851 Member
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    I have a notebook I write in because i cant always get to the computer. it helps
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    Y E S, it makes a difference if you put in the time to input. I lost 48 pounds faithfully using MFP. I was in maintenance mode and in June decided to stop using MFP to try it on my own. Well, I am in weight gain mode now and getting ready to kick some butt as I restart myself here! It does depend on you logging your foods and being attentive to what you should be eating and when you should be exercising, as it is not magical just because you use MFP! You still have to make the right choices, but I found using MFP kept me focused on my goal.
  • buckeyebuc
    buckeyebuc Posts: 35 Member
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    I'm the exact opposite. Between the website and the app for my phone I log everything daily. I have found this site to be an amazing resource and will be here as long as they will hav me. Like most people here I don't consider it a diet but a change of lifestyle. I know how to get big but I am learning how to get small. I guess its like I tell my wife, you have to want to do it, noone can do it for you. I wish you the best of luck however.
  • kimtpa1417
    kimtpa1417 Posts: 461 Member
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    I have been a yo-yo dieter for years. (well since I had my kid and the weight problems began) and so far this has help and I am learning so much about food and portion control. When I feel like it isnt working or I want to binge I read through some of the success stories and that is so much motivation.
  • suzikelley
    suzikelley Posts: 210 Member
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    It's definitely hard! But this site helps A LOT! When I started here, I loved the support here and all of the amazing success stories - that got me hooked. And when I started seeing results, it just kept me going. Even 1 lb. in a week was great - because I saw it all adding up, and my pants size going down. Then around the holidays, I kind of lost steam... but I kept coming back here - and was able to maintain. I maintained for a LONG time! lol A few weeks ago I decided it's time to kick it into gear again. I still haven't gotten back into exercising as much - baby steps work for me, it will come. But for now, I've just been logging and the weight loss has started coming again. Originally I wanted to be at my goal weight by mid-August (a year from when I started) - it's now the end of July, and I'm only almost half-way to my goal weight.... BUT I'm 31 lbs. lighter than this time last year, I feel a heck of a lot better than I did this time last year, and If I can lose another 30 lbs. by this time next year - I'll be happy! :) You can do this - and this site and the people here are AMAZING!!
  • CrimsonScotty
    CrimsonScotty Posts: 47 Member
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    It most definitely helps, there's no way to know what needs changing about your diet without being able to see what's wrong with it! And yes, it's hard especially sometimes when busy life happens, but if you can keep it up for a few weeks it becomes habit and just like any other daily routine, or at least it did for me.
  • mkbunny
    mkbunny Posts: 23 Member
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    Please remember that you are a valuable precious person. If you dont feel what you are was ok, it's ok. Enter it into your log anyway. It's away to take care of the wonderful neat person thatyou are. You are important!
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Hello :smile:

    I'm new and have only joined for like a week now I think. I was just wondering as someone like myself who is pretty useless and gives up with diet/exercising do you think this helps? Since I've been using it I have become more aware of how many calories I'm counting. But I'm starting to slack and have not been keeping up with my food diaries. I know that it is all down to me but does anyone else find it hard?

    MFP is a tool. If you are ready to lose the weight, it's a great tool. If you're not really ready yet, it isn't going to help. MFP can do a lot of things, but it can't give you the motivation and determination to really change your life.

    If you're not yet ready, that's OK. Obviously, none of us were ready for a long time or we wouldn't have been overweight. ;) But if and when you are ready, yes, MFp is a tremendous help.
  • neefz
    neefz Posts: 3
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    Thanks guys its good to see some positive feedback. I guess the most annoying thing about losing weight is that its not instant and that it takes time and you have to be willing to be patient which I am terrible at! But I will definitely try my hardest to log into my food diary even if I do have a food binge because then hopefully over time I can look back and see how much healthier my diet has become :)
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Thanks guys its good to see some positive feedback. I guess the most annoying thing about losing weight is that its not instant and that it takes time and you have to be willing to be patient which I am terrible at! But I will definitely try my hardest to log into my food diary even if I do have a food binge because then hopefully over time I can look back and see how much healthier my diet has become :)

    If you struggle with binging, try to record in the "Food notes" section what was going on when you binged. Were you angry? Hurt? Agitated but can't quite define why? Bored? You may find that recording this helps you to identify your triggers. Onc eyou have a handle on the triggers, you can work on coping strategies that don't involve eating.

    The whole process of losing weight can definitely seem overwhelming. When I started here, I just recorded my food at first. Then I tried to stay within calorie goal. Then I started to try to improve the quality of my diet one small step at a time, and it's still far from perfect. Doing everything at once would have been too difficult and I never would have been able to handle it.

    I think it can be smart to go in small steps. Get a handle on what you're eating and why. Even if you go no farther, that knowledge in and of itself is helpful. When you're ready, start making small steps toward change.

    Yes, it always takes longer than we wish it would. But even slow progress is progress!
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
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    Yes, it does help and as you have already discovered... it makes you aware of what you are doing. It is a major resource.
  • Janworkingitout
    Janworkingitout Posts: 434 Member
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    Oh yeah!

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